Jiang Shuyao made Yunnan's Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles today.
The ingredients and condiments were limited, and there were children. The first thing she thought of was the fragrant and light rice noodles.
She took an old hen and pig bones to stew the soup, boiled it on the stove in a big pot for one afternoon. The soup stewed on the most primitive wood-fired stove was unique. Just sprinkle a little salt and white pepper on the noodles, and the chicken soup was already delicious.
The stewed chicken broth was covered with a layer of chicken oil. The stewed chicken in the broth was soft and smooth. Add the blanched rice noodles, and the main ingredients were ready.
Jiang Shuyao repeatedly told the two children to pay attention to the temperature when eating. The fat in the chicken soup was boiling, it was hot enough to make the thin slices of meat cooked through in the soup.
But Xie Zhao still ate in a hurry. He picked up a thin slice of pork and passed it through the soup, sandwich it between the soft and mellow rice noodles, and stuffed it into his mouth. The hot temperature made him keep inhaling, and his face was flushed.
The main kitchen of Duke Xie's mansion had stocked up all kinds of fresh vegetables for the whole year. Even if they don't have it, the servants would find them immediately when the masters ordered them.
Vegetables that are not easy to be cooked were blanched, shredded, and placed on a plate. The white and green side dishes were matched with delicate porcelain, which looked pleasing to the eyes.
Xie Xun looked at the big table and looked at the freshness and couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
Jiang Shuyao took a quail egg from the bowl and took a light bite. The soft egg whites bursted open. The egg was fragrant, fresh, and delicious.
"Rice noodles." It was so hot that she sucked in air. She wanted to reply but had to inhale again. Her posture was really indecent.
Xie Xun had never seen a woman had such a way of eating, and it was unsightly for a woman to eat like the little fat boy, Xie Zhao.
He frowned slightly and said, "Of course I know it's rice noodles." What he was curious was about was this way of eating. And what is with the table full of vegetables and meat slices?
It's a pity that Jiang Shuyao didn't understand his doubts. She didn't raise her head when she heard him said this.
"Auntie, fish fillets!" Xie Zhao breathed out and stretched out his short hand towards Jiang Shuyao.
Jiang Shuyao tacitly handed him the plate with fish fillets. He had just stuffed a large mouthful of rice noodles in his mouth, and his eyes were burning with tears while chewing.
Xie Xun was ignored again.
He looked at the "bold and unrestrained" eating habits of one big person and one small person, and once again, his understanding of Jiang Shuyao had increased. It seemed that she had never studied etiquette when she was at the Jiang family's house.
The scent of chicken soup floated into Xie Xun's nose. Xie Yao, the little skinny man, had been infected by the two, and his appearance became less and less constricted. He swallowed and ate happily.
Xie Xun had a headache and turned his gaze to Jiang Shuyao. She happened to be eating a very long rice noodle, and she sucked the rice noodle into her mouth with a hamster-like cheek.
Xie Xun couldn't believe it.
How could there be a lady who ate food like this? She was like the women in Saibei that he had seen when he traveled abroad, very inappropriate, but... it looked delicious.
He couldn't help but swallow.
With such a big person standing there alone, Jiang Shuyao can't ignore him.
She knew that Xie Xun didn't want to see her and didn't want to have a good relationship with her. Seeing him frowned and looked at her bowl, she said, "Have you eat dinner?"
Xie Xun actually had that thought in his mind. With a sense of panic, he quickly moved his eyes away, "Not yet."
Jiang Shuyao asked politely, "Do you want to eat with us?" Xie Xun's disgusted look seemed unwilling at a glance. When she asked, she already knew the answer.
Unexpectedly, Xie Xun was silent for a few seconds before suddenly saying, "Okay."
Jiang Shuyao suddenly raised her head and stared at him in surprise.
Xie Xun didn't expect that he would agree with her question. He regretted it very much, but he had to act calmly on the surface. He lifted his robe and sat down.
He raised his hand, and someone immediately stepped forward and waited on him.
Seeing that he was a mild-tempered gentleman who was polite and graceful even when he ate, Jiang Shuyao silently cursed in her heart: Why are you eating rice noodles? Just drink morning dew!
Bai Zhi saw Jiang Shuyao made the noodles once, and blanching rice noodles did not require any craftsmanship. After a glance, it will be done. So she quickly brought Xie Xun's share.
When the clay pot was placed in front of you, the fragrance was more intense. The soup was clear and translucent and covered with a layer of yellow oil. The white rice noodles were immersed in the soup, and you could imagine the sweetness and flavor just by looking at it.
Xie Xun moved his chopsticks, and Jiang Shuyao couldn't help but remind him, "Be careful it is hot."
Xie Xun was slightly taken aback.
If she regarded Xie Xun as her husband, Jiang Shuyao would definitely feel embarrassed. At this time, she would treat him as an ordinary diner, and her attitude became exceptionally natural.
Food usually makes people very friendly. Usually, some diners in a restaurant would ask the next table, "What are you eating? Is it delicious?" Most of diners would enthusiastically answer and recommend the best thing on the menu.
Today, Xie Zhao and Xie Yao was extraordinarily supportive and pleased her as a cook, so when Xie Xun joined them, her attitude was warm and hearty.
"Put the meat dishes first, then the vegetables." She explained.
Xie Xun nodded.
Jiang Shuyao looked at his elegant and cold appearance and felt anxious, so she simply moved a little to his side and poured a raw egg for him neatly.
Then she quickly used public chopsticks to insert raw meat, fish fillets, chicken, kidney, and other meat.
She asked, "Do you eat this? How about this? Anything you can't eat? This is delicious, do you want to try it?"
Xie Xun felt dizzy after hearing the speed of her speech, which was like pouring beans. It did not matter whether he usually ate these meats or not. He went along with her.
She added tender leeks, spinach, shredded lettuce, shredded radish, and other vegetables for him. The empty pot was quickly piled up, the bowl was full of brightly colored things, which were rich, but the flavor was not strong.
"You can eat it when the food is cooked." Jiang Shuyao looked at Xie Xun expectantly, "Try it?" She looked like a kind old lady who went to feed her grandson like crazy during the Chinese New Year.
"Thank you."
Xie Xun avoided her sparkling gaze. He felt very uncomfortable and even a little guilty.
She really cooked this big table of dishes for him. Otherwise, why would she be so excited and eager to entertain him for dinner? But on the first day of his wedding, he escaped and left his wife alone.
Seeing that it was almost done, Jiang Shuyao reminded him, "You can eat now."
Xie Xun threw his happy thoughts. He turned his attention to the pot, stirred up the rice noodle with chopsticks, mixed it with various vegetable shreds, and took a bite. The taste was excellent, rich, and delicious.
The piping hot rice noodles were firm, soft, and delicious, not only from the deliciousness of chicken soup, but they also had the refreshing sweetness and fragrance of rice.
Vegetables had just been cooked. It is fresh, crisp, and sweet. Compared with traditional methods, they were more crispy and tender. They locked in the original fragrance of the vegetables and guaranteed the taste.
After they were mixed together and swallowed in one bite, he could understand why it has to be eaten like this.
Xie Xun's dining etiquette for more than ten years has allowed him to maintain the habit of eating slowly and gracefully. When he was still tasting, he suddenly raised his head and met Jiang Shuyao's expectant eyes. He almost choked with fright. Only then did he remember that she was waiting for his evaluation.
He swallowed in a hurry. The hot temperature made his throat aching slightly.
"It tastes delicious, with a special flavor."
Jiang Shuyao was praised and happily returned to her "battlefield." She contentedly continue the raid.
If Xie Xun gave her a bad review just now, she would immediately take away his bowl.
Xie Xun saw Jiang Shuyao waiting for his comment before eating with ease, and suddenly felt relieved. Even if he hated her tricks to force him marrying her, her wish to please him was indeed true.
He sighed in his heart.
Whenever there was something in his mind, he forgot about his eating speed.
The thin meat slices were fresh and tender. The saltiness was just right, the taste was mellow but full-bodied, mixed with the rice noodle. He took one bite after another bite and cannot stop at all.
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When the thin shirt on his body was slightly wet with sweat, the clay pot had bottomed out.
He hadn't eaten so much for many years.
Turning his head to look, Jiang Shuyao and his two little nephews were already struggling and leaned lazily to the side, looking boneless.
He only ate until he had a slight feeling of fullness since he was a child, and he had never eaten this full before, so he can't understand Jiang Shuyao, who can't support her own body anymore.
Xie Xun couldn't help but said in a reprimanding tone, "What is with your sitting posture?"
Jiang Shuyao glanced at him lazily, without moving.
Xie Xun, "..."
He turned his head and looked around, but he didn't see any young man by his side, so he was slightly relieved.
After sighing with relief, he was a little puzzled again. Why did he worry that a man will see Jiang Shuyao's boneless and lazy look? He was ashamed of her.
He didn't think about it deeply, the thin sweat on his back made him feels a little dizzy, and it had been a long time since he has eaten so happily.
He looked at Jiang Shuyao and stopped talking.
Before the complex emotions were tumbling, Jiang Shuyao grabbed her stomach and hummed. Xie Xun's emotions were immediately smashed, and he couldn't bear to look directly away.
"Make her a cup of hawthorn tea." He told Bai Zhi.
"No need, I'll just take a short walk." Jiang Shuyao stood up and took the two children who were also struggling to stroll in the yard.
Xie Xun looked at her back, felt very helpless, and could not figure out what kind of people could raise such a woman.
But soon, he would understand.
Xie Xun got up early on the third day with the chaos to return home, and when he arrived at the courtyard, he found that Jiang Shuyao was not in the room.
He was about to ask when Jiang Shuyao came out of the small kitchen holding a small jar.
Xie Xun couldn't help but frown.
"Why are you dressed like this?"
Today, Jiang Shuyao looked much more pure and plain, with a thick layer of white powder on her face, looking bloodless. A pair of upset eyebrows hanging on her face strangely, as if she would cry in the next second. It didn't match her bright and glamorous eyes.
Jiang Shuyao didn't realize how spicy her eyes were. She raised her eyebrows, and it was even more apparent, "Me? I dressed up especially for today. My mother likes this."
Xie Xun was also a talented young man with normal aesthetics. It was really uncomfortable to see her like this. He wanted to take out the handkerchief and wipe her eyebrows.
Jiang Shuyao didn't care whether he looked uncomfortable or not. She took the small jar and got into the carriage.
Xie Xun saw her carrying a very precious little jar and moved his gaze away from her eyebrows. He curiously asked, "What is this?"
Jiang Shuyao proudly said, "This is cornel oil!"
The downward eyebrows fell even further.
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Xie Xun couldn't help but dig out his handkerchief. Fortunately, Jiang Shuyao took the first step to save him, who was feeling uncomfortable.
"Do you want to taste it?" She sat down, holding the small jar, and Bai Shao handed a chopstick with insight.
Xie Xun didn't want to look at her face and nodded casually.
Jiang Shuyao couldn't wait to open the lid, and a pungent smell instantly overflowed in the carriage.
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[T/N:
1. Yunnan province's Crossing-the-bridge noodle is a rice noodle soup that is very well-known in Yunnan cuisine.
The story of the name begins with a scholar who was studying hard for his imperial exams on a small island. His wife, who would bring him food, found that by the time she had crossed the bridge to the island, the soup would be cold, and the noodles were soggy. She then decided to load a large earthen pot with boiling broth with a layer of oil on top that would act as insulation and keep the broth warm. The noodles and other ingredients were kept in separate containers, and when she arrived, she mixed the two containers together for a warm soup.
2. Cornel, also known as dogwood, or cornus, is a flowering plant with fragrant cherry-like fruits. Before chili is known in China, there were mainly three kinds of ingredients that were used for the spicy taste: pepper, ginger, and cornel.
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